Nov 24, 2014

Second Year Blog Anniversary + $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway




In honor of Inspiration Kitchen’s Second Year Blog Anniversary (and carrying on with last’s years tradition) I thought it might be fun to share some facts and things I’ve learned the 2nd year here at IK.
2nd Anniversary Post | Inspiration Kitchen
This giveaway is 100% sponsored by Inspiration Kitchen.  Please know, you must live and reside in the U.S.  There will be one lucky winner.  Please be sure to read the Giveaway Rules before entering the contest to ensure you qualify!  This giveaway ends 11/25/2014 @ 12:00 a.m PST.  The retail value is $100, and will be awarded to one lucky winner.
If I thought the 1st year went fast, the 2nd year whisked by!

Facts:

  1. I have taken 15,079 photos this past year and over 30,633 photos since the launch of this blog
  2. I have completely lost total count of the number of deleted food photos since the launch of IK
  3. Since buying my new camera (Nikon D750) 1 month ago, I’ve already taken 2,439 photos of food
  4. After 2 years doing this blog, I can *finally* crack an egg without getting shells in it – YESssss!
  5. I have completely worn out 5 aprons this year alone

Disasters & Oopsies!

You all know my looooog and difficult history cracking eggs.  How it ended up there, I’ll never know.  No, again, this is *not* a staged photo.  I wished it was.
Egg Cracking Incident Recipe Disaster 2014 | Inspiration Kitchen
Moving on.
My first attempt at making Fortune Cookies was a complete disaster.  They were way harder to make than I expected!  You have to work fast to get them in their half-moon shape.  I, apparently, am the slowest fortune cookie maker in the world.
Fortune Cookie Incident Recipe Disaster 2014 | Inspiration Kitchen
And then, when I finally DID make a ??? successful ???  fortune cookie, they ended up looking like Fortune Cookie Lips.
To make matters worse, the actual fortune stuck to the cookie.
I think the fortune read “Stick to what you know.  p.s. this ain’t it!
Stuck On You Incident Recipe Disaster 2014 | Inspiration Kitchen
And then, there was the pizza dough that blew up as big as a balloon until I stabbed it multiple times with a fork.  See what happens when food refuses to cooperate around here?

Pizza Dough Incident Recipe Disaster 2014 | Inspiration Kitchen

Even with all the disasters, let’s get to some favorites, shall we?

♥ Reader’s Top 10 Favorite Recipes ♥

  1. Bahama Breeze Skillet Simmered Jerk Shrimp
  2. 3 Bean Salad
  3. Fresh Lime & Jalapeno Margaritas
  4. Peanut Butter & Banana Pumpkin Smoothie
  5. Carne Asada Street Tacos
  6. Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
  7. Creole Seasoned Chicken Wings
  8. New Orleans BBQ Shrimp
  9. Dirty Banana Cocktail
  10. Honey & Jalapeno Coleslaw

♥ My Top 10 Favorite Recipes ♥

  1. Black Licorice Ice Cream
  2. White Beans & Ham
  3. Candied Pecan Maple Ice Cream
  4. Spicy Crab & Avocado Salsa
  5. Caramel Banana Xango
  6. French Onion Soup Open-Faced Burger
  7. Applesauce Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
  8. Slow Cooker Refried Beans
  9. Bahama Breeze Skillet Simmered Jerk Shrimp
  10. Peanut Butter & Banana Pumpkin Smoothie

♥ My Top Favorite Photos ♥

Bahama Breeze Skillet Simmered Jerk Shrimp
Bahama Breeze Skillet Simmered Jerk Shrimp | Inspiration Kitchen
3 Bean Salad
3 Bean Salad | Inspiration Kitchen
Peanut Butter Banana Pumpkin Smoothie
Peanut Butter Banana Pumpkin Smoothie | Inspiration Kitchen
White Bean & Ham Soup
White Beans & Ham Soup | Inspiration Kitchen
The process of making White Beans & Ham Soup is one of my favorite parts.  I can’t get enough of this photo.  It makes my tummy grumble!
Black Licorice Ice Cream | Inspiration Kitchen
Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Praline Frosting
Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake Praline Frosting | Inspiration Kitchen

Foods I Can’t Live Without Right Now…

  • Licorice Ice Cream
  • Bacon
  • Pizza
  • Steak
  • Shrimp
  • Milk

Foods I Can Live Without Forever…

  • Sushi
I hope you found this post as fun as I did!  It’s wild, insane and craaaazy to reflect on the past year!  Thanks to all my readers for the memories!  Now, on to year 3.
Please be sure to read the Giveaway Rules before entering the contest to ensure you qualify!  This giveaway ends 11/25/2014 @ 12:00 a.m.  The retail value is $100, and will be awarded to one lucky winner.

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